Hurdlr vs Wave (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hurdlr grades higher than Wave: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hurdlr grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hurdlr
Mileage, expense and tax tracking app for freelancers
Wave
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses
Which one is for you
Pick Hurdlr if
- Fits if you are a US freelancer or gig worker who needs mileage and expenses logged
- Works for people who want a free tracker before they decide on Premium
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want automatic mileage and finance tracking for free, because both are Premium
- Not for you if you are outside the US, as annual tax filing is a US feature
- Watch out: the help-centre price articles are dated 2023 and 2024 and the main site has no pricing page, so check prices in the app
- Watch out: subscriptions bought directly from Hurdlr are non-refundable under its terms
Pick Wave if
- Fits if you're a sole trader in the US or Canada who mostly sends invoices
- Works for owners who'd pay Wave's own bookkeepers, from $149 a month, to keep the books
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if your business is outside the US or Canada
- Skip it if you bill by the hour, as there's no time tracking, projects or inventory on the listing
- Tight if you stay free, since every bank transaction is typed in by hand and card fees are 2.9% plus $0.60
- Watch out: live chat and email support need Pro or a paid add-on, and run weekdays 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern only
- Pricey if you add payroll, at $40 a month in the US plus $6 per employee and per contractor paid
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAHurdlrGood | 2.4GPAWaveFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APremium is $100 a year, about $8.34 a month, under 60% of the $14 where the cheaper quarter of accounting tools starts. Pro is $200 a year. | CPro is $19 a month, or $190 a year, between the cheaper quarter of accounting tools at $15 and the middle at $23. It buys bank feeds, receipt capture, late reminders and lower card fees, at a price in the middle of the range. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free version has semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual income and expense entry, real-time tax estimates and report exports, with no trial needed. Automatic tracking is Premium. | BStarter is free with unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records, plus a dashboard and reports. One person could live on that. The catch is typing in bank transactions by hand, because bank feeds need Pro. |
| Features | CMileage, expenses, tax estimates, invoicing, reports and US tax filing. The filing is a US feature, and it is a freelancer tool, not full accounting. | CInvoices, online payments, bookkeeping, bank feeds, receipt scanning and payroll as an add-on. The basics are there, but the listing shows no time tracking, projects or inventory, and Wave serves only US and Canadian businesses. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect bank accounts and set up rules before it runs on its own. | C4.37 from 6,664 App Store ratings, below most accounting apps here. Live chat and email support come only with Pro or a paid add-on, on weekdays. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with 5 integrations on record. No desktop program. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with connections to Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Google Sheets, Capsule CRM and Make. Most third-party integrations need Pro, and there's no desktop app. |
| Best for | a freelancer tracking mileage and expenses in a phone app | free invoicing and books in the US or Canada |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Hurdlr and Wave. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hurdlr starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wave starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Hurdlr starts $10.67 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 11 score higher than Hurdlr for less, and 16 score higher than Wave for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Wave also covers payroll.
At a glance
| Hurdlr | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.34 per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly) | $19 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Unlimited semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual income and expense tracking, real-time tax estimates and report exports. | Starter plan: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, a dashboard and reports, and invoicing in the mobile app. Bank transactions are entered by hand. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hurdlr, Inc. | Wave Financial Inc. |
| Price read from | university.hurdlr.com | waveapps.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hurdlr
- Pro is priced at $200 a year; the help page read shows no monthly Pro price.
- Annual tax filing is a US feature and is not included on enterprise accounts.
- Subscriptions bought directly from Hurdlr are non-refundable under its terms; app-store purchases follow Apple's or Google's refund rules.
- The help-center pricing articles read are dated 2023 and 2024, and the main site has no pricing page, so recheck prices in the app.
Wave
- Wave describes itself as serving businesses in the US and Canada, and its pricing page shows prices only in US and Canadian dollars.
- Payroll costs $40 a month in the US plus $6 per active employee and $6 per contractor paid (Canada: $25 CAD base).
- Bank feeds, automatic reminders and most third-party integrations need Pro; Starter has no bank import.
- Live chat and email support come only with Pro or a paid add-on, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern.
Key features
Hurdlr
- Mileage tracking
- Free accounts get semi-automatic tracking; automatic trip detection comes with Premium.
- Income and expense tracking
- Links to bank and credit card accounts and to Square, Stripe, Shopify, PayPal and Uber, with rules for categorizing expenses.
- Tax estimates
- Real-time federal, state and self-employment tax estimates with payment reminders; Premium adds detailed calculations and payment tracking.
- Invoicing
- Branded invoices with credit card payment collection, on the Pro plan.
- Accounting and reports
- Pro adds double-entry accounting, a chart of accounts, journal entries and statements such as the income statement and balance sheet.
- Annual tax filing
- Pro includes annual tax filing for US users, covering federal plus one state, unless the account is provided through an employer or tax professional.
Wave
- Invoices and estimates
- Unlimited invoices and estimates on the free plan. Pro removes Wave branding, adds reusable message templates and sends automatic late payment reminders.
- Online payments
- Customers pay invoices by card or bank payment once online payments are approved; deposits can be collected through estimates.
- Bookkeeping and bank feeds
- Unlimited bookkeeping records on every plan. Pro imports bank transactions through Plaid, then merges and categorizes them.
- Receipt capture
- Receipts uploaded from the mobile app, desktop or email become records by OCR. Included in Pro, or $8 a month on Starter.
- Wave Payroll
- Pays employees and contractors, with tax filing in all 50 US states and CRA remittances in Canada. A separate add-on.
- Wave Advisors
- Wave's in-house bookkeepers can keep the books for you or coach you to do them yourself, from $149 a month.
Plans
Hurdlr
Free$0
Semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual finance tracking, tax estimates and exports.
Premium$8.34
per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly)
Adds automatic mileage and finance tracking, custom expense and mileage rules, detailed tax estimates, tax payment tracking and work hours.
Pro$200
per year
Premium plus invoicing, general ledger, journal entries, accountant invites and annual tax filing (federal plus one state) for US non-enterprise users.
Wave
Starter$0
Unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and records. Card payments cost 2.9% plus $0.60 each, and bank transactions are not imported automatically.
Pro$19
per month, billed monthly
Bank feeds with auto-categorizing, unlimited receipt capture, late payment reminders, more users and card fees of 2.9% with no fixed fee on the first 10 a month.
Wave Advisors$149
per month and up
Pro features plus a dedicated bookkeeper who keeps the books and prepares monthly financial statements. Mobile receipts are not included.
Ways to pay less
Hurdlr
- Annual discount
Annual Premium plan
Premium is $100 a year, against $9.99 a month on the month-to-month plan.
Wave
- Annual discount
Save $38 with annual Pro billing
Pro costs $190 a year when billed annually, against $228 for twelve monthly payments of $19.
- Other savings
Half off Pro for the first 3 months
New Pro subscribers paying monthly on Wave's website pay $9.50 a month for the first three months, saving $28.50, then the listed $19 a month.
- Other savings
Black Friday: Wave Advisors from $134 a month
Bookkeeping plans bought from November 2 to November 30, 2026 start at $134 a month instead of $149, with up to 25% off two-year plans and $30 to $40 off coaching sessions.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hurdlr or Wave?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hurdlr is cheaper to start with: $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against $19 a month for Wave. Hurdlr starts at $8.34 per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly), and Wave starts at $19 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Hurdlr or Wave?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Hurdlr and Wave have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.